Tony Rohr ‘Verb Is The Word’

Cari Lekebusch’s H imprint has a catalogue that smacks of quality. So whenever you see the logo, the words should probably buy that spring to mind. It’s a long but distinguished history that continues with this hands across the water moment, as one of New York’s premier techno heads opens this year’s scoring.

Brooklynite Rohr also boasts a reputation for making people go bump in the night, and this double-header- released in advance of a forthcoming album- really is no exception, as Oddmekanix proves from the word go. Staccato percussion ushers in a beatless rhythm that’s easier to dance to than anything a kick has ever touched, complete with a car alarm hook that’s the very reason pensioners despise dance music. Then the inevitable beats drop, creating the kind of feeling everyone from Beyer to Surgeon would proudly promote.

Flip it and reveal Sleestak, a housier though far from mellow workout. Dubby drums are go from the outset, with stripped hi-hats and Someone Else-esque, barely decipherable vocal stabs giving your ears something to latch on to. When the hand claps and reverberating springs finally arrive these details tie the whole package together with a ribbon that reads ‘best filler material of 2011’, which we wouldn’t be too surprised to hear people repeating in end of year roundups eleven months or so down the line. Addictive, groovy and polished.